There are many recent threads on Achilles and other tendon injuries. See especially the tables by CharlieFedererer that give healing times for tendon injuries. It's longer than a few weeks for tendon injuries. The early healing is very important.

The goal is to avoid chronic tendinosis or defective healing by avoiding stress while the tendon is healing.
Read the first paper short paper in reply #1 and the longer one in reply #15, it mentions Achilles injuries, I believe. http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=442912

It is very informative to search common tennis injuries. You will find a few injuries described in detail that cover the majority of those injuries complained about on this forum, including Achilles injuries.

Please stop stressing it, especially with tennis. See a Dr for a diagnosis and treatment.

Tendinitis such as that of the Achilles, lateral elbow, and rotator cuff tendons is a common presentation to family practitioners and various medical specialists.1 Most currently practising general practitioners were taught, and many still believe, that patients who present with overuse tendinitis have a largely inflammatory condition and will benefit from anti-inflammatory medication. Unfortunately this dogma is deeply entrenched. Ten of 11 readily available sports medicine texts specifically recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for treating painful conditions like Achilles and patellar tendinitis despite the lack of a biological rationale or clinical evidence for this approach. 2 3

Instead of adhering to the myths above, physicians should acknowledge that painful overuse tendon conditions have a non-inflammatory pathology. Light microscopy of patients operated on for tendon pain reveals collagen separation4–6—thin, frayed, and fragile tendon fibrils, separated from each other lengthwise and disrupted in cross section. There is an apparent increase in tenocytes with myofibroblastic differentiation (tendon repair cells) and classic inflammatory cells are usually absent.4 This is tendinosis and it was first described 25 years ago,6 but this fundamental of musculoskeletal medicine has not yet replaced the tendinitis myth. Tendinosis is not merely a long term corollary of short term tendinitis. Animal studies show that within two to three weeks of tendon insult tendinosis is present and inflammatory cells are absent.7

A critical review of the role of various anti-inflammatory medications in soft tissue conditions found limited evidence of short term pain relief and no evidence of their effectiveness in providing even medium term clinical resolution of clearly diagnosed tendon disorders.2 Laboratory studies have not shown a therapeutic role for these medications. Corticosteroid injections provide mixed results in relieving the pain of tendinopathy. 8 9

If general practitioners, orthopaedic surgeons, and other members of the healthcare professions treating tendon disorders made a quantum shift from previous flawed teaching about overuse tendinitis and adopted these data there would be immediate ramifications. Nomenclature for the clinical presentation of tendon disorders would reflect the true histopathological basis underlying clinical presentation.10 The term tendinitis would rarely cross doctors' lips. Numerous authorities 2 10 recommend the term tendinopathy (for example, Achilles tendinopathy) as this acknowledges that the condition is not tendinitis. We favour this term for clinical diagnosis. Most importantly, we must acknowledge, at least till contrary data appear, that anti-inflammatory pharmacotherapy does not provide significant long term benefit in tendinopathy. 2 11 Nevertheless, high quality randomised controlled trials are urgently needed to examine the long term effects of these medications on tendinopathy.

If general practitioners treating musculoskeletal conditions embraced the tendinopathy paradigm, it would provide patients with an accurate description of their condition. It would avoid inappropriate pharmacotherapy with its attendant costs and comorbidity. Furthermore, by accepting need to allow time for collagen turnover and remodelling inherent in the pathology of tendinosis, doctors would be free to provide patients with a realistic prognosis that better reflects the finding of prospective clinical studies.12 These conditions take months rather than weeks to resolve.

Some pockets of the sports medicine, orthopaedics, and rheumatology specialties have adopted this paradigm, 2–4 10 but it must no longer remain within that cabal. It is time for medical educators to accept the irrefutable evidence that the term tendonitis must be abandoned to highlight a new perspective on tendon disorders. Adopting the tendinopathy paradigm is essential if general practitioners are to practise evidence based medicine. However, there remain many unanswered questions, particularly with respect to treatment.

Very unhappy to read that it is months rather than weeks. Perhaps I'll be able to get back to gentle knocking sessions in 2-3 weeks rather than be out of all activities for months. Not sure I could bear that

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I can confirm that for a full no-pain recovery it will be several months. I injured mine in a cardio-boot camp class last Fall. It just sort of hurt and then got progressively worse to the point that walking in flats was quite painful and any sort of pushing off it in tennis was also painful --- running for the ball and serving were the worst. I went to PT and got stretches to do for it, also learned how to tape it with KT tape. That helped some but it still hurt. When I went to Asia for work for three weeks and then did not play for a week or two after getting home is when it really began to feel better.

But be warned, it will start to feel better and you go back to your normal activity and it is easy to re-injure. That is what happened to me. I now wear heel lifts in my shoes and use the KT tape on it everytime I play and it is petty much better with only occassional stiffness in the morning when I get out of bed.

An Achilles tendon injury affects professional and amateur athletes alike.

The Achilles tendon is one of the longer tendons in your body, stretching from the bones of your heel to your calf muscles. You can feel it -- a springy band of tissue at the back of your ankle and above your heel. It allows you to extend your foot and point your toes to the floor.

Unfortunately, it's a commonly injured tendon. Many Achilles tendon injuries are caused by tendinitis, in which the tendon becomes swollen and painful. In a severe Achilles tendon injury, too much force on the tendon can cause it to tear partially or rupture completely.
What Can Cause Achilles Tendon Injuries?

An Achilles tendon injury might be caused by:

Overuse
Stepping up your level of physical activity too quickly
Not stretching enough before exercise
Wearing high heels, which increases the stress on the tendon
Problems with the feet. An Achilles tendon injury can result from flat feet, also known as fallen arches or overpronation. In this condition, the impact of a step causes the arch of your foot to collapse, stretching the muscles and tendons.
Muscles or tendons in the leg that are too tight

Achilles tendon injuries are common in people who participate in these sports:

You're more likely to tear an Achilles tendon when you start moving suddenly. For instance, a sprinter might get one at the start of a race. The abrupt tensing of the muscle can be too much for the tendon to handle. Men older than age 30 are particularly prone to Achilles tendon injuries.
What Does an Achilles Tendon Injury Feel Like?

Symptoms of an Achilles tendon injury are:

Pain along the back of your foot and above your heel, especially when stretching your ankle or standing on your toes. In tendinitis, pain may be mild and worsen gradually. If you rupture the tendon, pain can be abrupt and severe.
Tenderness
Swelling
Stiffness
Hearing a snapping or popping noise during the injury
Difficulty flexing your foot or pointing your toes (in complete tears of the tendon)

To diagnose an Achilles tendon injury, your health care provider will give you a thorough physical exam. He or she may want to see you walk or run to look for problems that might have contributed to your Achilles tendon injury.
What's the Treatment for an Achilles Tendon Injury?

As debilitating as they can be, the good news is that minor to moderate Achilles tendon injuries should heal on their own. You just need to give them time.

To speed the healing, you can:

Rest your leg. Avoid putting weight on your leg as best you can. You may need crutches.
Ice your leg. To reduce pain and swelling, ice your injury for 20 to 30 minutes, every three to four hours for two to three days, or until the pain is gone.
Compress your leg. Use an elastic bandage around the lower leg and ankle to keep down swelling.
Elevate your leg. Prop you leg up on a pillow when you're sitting or lying down.
Take anti-inflammatory painkillers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Advil, Aleve, or Motrin, will help with pain and swelling. However, these drugs have side effects, such as an increased risk of bleeding and ulcers. They should be used only occasionally unless your health care provider says otherwise and should be taken with food.
Use a heel lift. Your health care provider may recommend that you wear an insert in your shoe while you recover. It will protect your Achilles tendon from further stretching.
Practice stretching and strengthening exercises as recommended by your health care provider.

Usually, these techniques will do the trick. But in severe cases of Achilles tendon injury, you may need a cast for six to 10 weeks, or even surgery to repair the tendon or remove excess tissue.

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When Will I Feel Better?

Of course, what you really want to know is when you can get back in the game. Recovery time may take months, but it really depends on how serious your Achilles tendon injury is. Different conditions heal at different rates.

You can still be active while your injury heals. Try a new activity that won't aggravate your Achilles tendon such as swimming.

Don't rush things. Do not try to return to your old level of physical activity until:

You can move your leg as easily and freely as your uninjured leg.
Your leg feels as strong as your uninjured leg.
You feel no pain in your leg when you walk, jog, sprint, or jump.

If you start pushing yourself before your Achilles tendon injury is fully healed, you could wind up with permanent pain and disability.
How Can I Prevent an Achilles Tendon Injury?

There are things you can do to prevent an Achilles tendon injury. You should:

Always stretch your leg muscles and Achilles tendons before and after exercise -- more often if your muscles and tendons are tight.
Cut down on uphill running.
Wear shoes with good support that fit well.
Always increase the intensity of your physical activity slowly.
Stop exercising if you feel pain or tightness in the back of your calf or heel.

But be warned, it will start to feel better and you go back to your normal activity and it is easy to re-injure. That is what happened to me. I now wear heel lifts in my shoes and use the KT tape on it everytime I play and it is petty much better with only occassional stiffness in the morning when I get out of bed.

I originally tweaked it 4 months ago. It was just starting to feel normal again when I slipped and fell badly on wet grass hurting it again (together with spraining my ankle). Its definitely better today then 3 days ago but it feels very tight and it gets sore when I walk for any period.

Did you take it easy when you started playing tennis upon returning from Asia?

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As too calf muscles , I popped 2 ligs on one leg and one lig on another while playing matches, a couple weeks apart, I finished and won the matches, simply didnt chase down balls and hit better. The finishing touch on 2 ligs I felt pop was the player blistered a flat serve up the tee-deuce side (i was in the center to receive) I hit a backhand against his serve, it went back so fast(hit 2 feet in from side line and 3 ft from baseline) alls he could do was watch it hit in , game, set match..season over.last match of the season. I limped back to my car and went home..., the leg with 2 popped ligs was 2x bigger than the other leg.

I dropped B7's-too heavy and went with yonex 308's and 254D shoes, all good.

As too therapy, I lean against the wall put one foot forward about 12 inches, important keep the other leg under your shoulder, this gives a light stretch, do it several times switching legs-about 3 times a day,,this really helped me out. I got this therapy from a MD on line, it works. My legs are all good now. Oh muscles are made of protein,,step up protein in your diet, I eat protein bars religiously with vitamins of course.

Chas
"resting may take some treatment"??? What exactly does that mean?

I don't know. I do recall that some people have been treated with boots to reduce stress, maybe Achilles or calf injury. ? Other things such as orthotics or night boots. ? But I can't recall the specifics and am not qualified to find treatments. A well-qualified Dr should diagnose and prescribe the treatment.

It appears that the Dr, after examining the OP, says that the injury is not too bad. That's what we hope to hear.

Now that the injury is diagnosed the OP should research what he can learn about the specific injury and its location - at heel insertion or higher up, etc.

He can look into life style and posture issues that may have contributed to his injury. After his treatment and recovery and he is cleared by the Dr he can do preventive conditioning, especially for his calves. Information on calf conditioning exercises intended for healthy calves is described in several threads. Posture is a complex issue. A head-to-toe posture examination is good for avoiding future injuries for more than just the calves.

The 2 calf muscles (Soleus & Gastrocnemius) connect to the Achilles and the Achilles, through the heel, connects to the 'plantar fascia' on the bottom of the foot. The same forces are transmitted along the calves, the Achilles and the plantar fascia. Three common tennis injuries to these tissues have been associated with tight/short calf muscles.

Achilles Injury. I had very mild, occasional Achilles pain for a few months. I took it easy, stretched gently and was ready to quit tennis had the pain increased. Pain decreased and went away.

Plantar Fasciitis. Another injury closely related to Achilles injuries, is plantar fasciitis. My PF injury slowly got worse for about 10 months. I finally took off completely for 3 months and gently stretched, also tried to wear a night boot for PF but the boot design hurt my toe area. The night boot keeps the calf lengthened to help healing of the 'plantar fascia'. The PF has not returned in, say, 4-5 years.

Calf Muscle Tear/Rupture A third injury associated with tight/short calves muscles is a torn calf muscle, 'tennis leg'. I have not had that injury.

The information on this board has been really helpful so far and while the news so far is good, I'll definitely be working on strengthening and resting the Achilles tendons after I'm back on the court.

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I originally tweaked it 4 months ago. It was just starting to feel normal again when I slipped and fell badly on wet grass hurting it again (together with spraining my ankle).

I have a tear in my Achilles tendon that I've been dealing with for over 3 years. It really didn't get any better for a long time. The thing that turned it around (and it still isn't all the way well) was taping my ankle first thing in the morning and keeping it taped all day. That way I didn't keep re-injuring it by the everyday motions that the foot goes through - as well as stepping in a hole. Also, a boot or sock that keeps your ankle at a 90 degree angle while sleeping is very helpful (I found the sock thing at a running store), especially with some magnets around the Achilles.